Soundtrack To Life
by ParaCaerOuVoar
Summary: Because without music, there'd just be silence.
1. How To Save A Life

I know this has been posted before, but it's become part of a new series which will be all songfics. I know I write a lot of songfics. Sue me.

There should be 45 in total, but I may add or take away songs as this is basically the songs of my favourite iTunes playlist.

-_-

**21) How To Save A Life By The Fray**

Racing through traffic, hoping he was in time, Danny's hands gripped the steering wheel like a drowning man with a life belt. Screeching to a halt outside a derelict warehouse, he jumped out the car, followed closely by Flack, Hawkes and Stella. Pelting towards the side door, he could see images in his head, images of Mac lying in a pool of blood, those piercing blue eyes forever lifeless. Bursting through the door with a shout of 'NYPD! Hands in the air!' gun in hand, he saw Mac kneeling on the floor, hands laced behind his head, Joey standing behind him, gun pointing at him.

Mac looked Danny directly in the eye and smiled.

I love you, he mouthed, and everything went into slow motion. Joey pulled the trigger as a hail of bullets from Flack, Stella and Hawkes ripped through him. He saw Mac fall, a red stain spreading across his pale blue shirt.

An inhuman scream erupted from Danny, and he dropped his gun and was at Mac's side before he had hit the ground.

Tears pouring down his cheeks, Danny caught Mac, gathering him in his arms. He was struggling to breathe, and he could hear Flack shouting into his walkie talkie 'Man down! We need a medic in here now!', but it was too late.

'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!' sobbed Danny, kissing Mac's forehead.

With difficulty, Mac drew a breath. 'I forgive you Danny.' He went limp.

Danny's body was wracked with sobs. He could feel a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it away.

The medic arrived, but there was nothing he could do.

-_-

Danny shot up in his bed, sweat and tears pouring down his face. It was two months after, and still he was having nightmares. He looked at the clock. One AM. Mac's birthday. He got up and pulled on a t-shirt and some sweats. Running through the streets at night was what Mac used to do, and he felt closer to him when he did it as well.

Arriving at the graveyard, he stood in front of Mac's grave and just stood there, fighting the surge of emotion that always rose up when he was here.

'I miss you Mac.' he said thickly, through the tears. 'I loved you, and I hate myself for the last real thing I said to you. I know you forgave me, but I don't know if I can forgive myself.'

A fresh surge of tears slid down his face as he remembered the last real conversation he had with Mac.

-_-

He had messed up a case, really badly and the guy had walked. Danny was in the lab, poring over the case, trying to find some connection to the murderer and the victim.

'Danny, my office now.' His mood lifted slightly, as it always did hearing his lover's voice. With a smile he turned to Mac, but Mac's solemn face and steely eyes wiped the smile from his face.

He followed Mac silently into his office.

'Shut the door Danny.' He did so and sat down in the chair by Mac's desk. Mac sat down in his chair behind the desk. Danny tried to fix things quickly. 'Look Mac, I know I screwed up, but I promise it won't happen again…' he trailed off as Mac held up a hand, before starting, slowly and calmly. 'I pride myself on running one of the best crime labs in the United States, and one of the best teams. And what you did today was a rookie mistake- one I wouldn't have expected you to make in your week. You messed up and because of it, a guilty man is walking free out there in the city, and he will kill again. You let me down Danny, and I'm under orders to fire you.'

Danny opened his mouth to protest, but Mac interrupted him. 'The only reason I'm not is because I know this lab is your life and I don't want one mistake to ruin a life.'

Danny slowly stood up. 'You know something Mac? This lab isn't the only thing in my life. You were too.' He walked out, pausing with his hand on the door handle. 'You're just as much at fault as me. You're turning into Gerrard. You need a department scapegoat. So you chose me.' He paused, giving the words time to sink in. 'You were the only person I ever respected through it all; Tanglewood, Louis, Ruben, and I thought you respected me too. What a joke.'

He walked out, slamming the door behind him, the glass rattling.

-_-

In the graveyard, Danny heard noises behind him, and spun round.

Flack, Lindsay, Stella, Hawkes, Sid, Adam. They were all standing there. They didn't say anything, but they didn't need to.

Danny turned again to the gravestone that simply said:

Mac Taylor

Detective

Friend

Soul mate

Taken too soon

'Happy birthday Mac.' he said, and the other six stepped forward, Stella gripping Danny's hand tight, fighting back the tears.

He missed Mac, but he had his friends to help him through it, and he knew Mac was with the only other person he had ever loved.

Claire.


	2. Adam's Song

IF I didn't mention in the first chapter, this is going to be a crossover fic, depending on which songs remind me of which character.

-_-

**1) Adam's Song by Blink 182**

Nick writhed in agony, eyes screwed shut, his dream trapping him in the Plexiglas box yet again. With a scream, he jolted awake, sweat dripping down his face.

He couldn't do it anymore. Three years and that coffin still held him in its grip. He was going to end it, once and for all.

Moving into the bathroom, he wet a flannel and rubbed it over his face, wiping the sweat from his brow. Going into the kitchen/dining room, and pulling a sheet of paper towards him, he began to write:

_Dear y'all,_

_ I'm sorry. I fought for so long that night, and I've kept fighting since then, but I can't fight anymore. I'm not strong enough._

_Grissom, you found me because of your insect fascination, and for that I am grateful, but I can't deny, it's a little creepy. Especially the two-headed scorpion. You've been like a father to me, helping me when I was stuck, making me feel at home here in Las Vegas. I'm gonna miss you Griss._

_Catherine, working with you has been one of the best experiences of my life, and I've told you things I didn't think I could tell anyone. You are strong, smart and sexy, and I am truly glad to have met you._

_Warrick, you're my best friend man, and I love you, and all I could think in that box was how you were gonna get me out. It was the only thing that kept me sane, and you did it. We always used to joke that one of us would get it. Looks like you won that bet. Knowing you have to carry on without me makes this even harder to write, but I know you can do it. You have the team to help you through it. I've known you for nearly ten years, and I wouldn't swap a minute of them. Goodbye._

_Sara, you were the new kid on the block, and I gotta be honest, at first I didn't like you. You were the replacement for Holly, and even though I never met her, it felt like you were just there to fill the gap. But then I got to know you, and you were the sweetest, most caring person in the world. I hope you and Grissom are happy together for years to come._

_Greg, you were like a brother to me, and I'll never forget the time me and Grissom walked in on you with the rock music on and the mask. I'm glad you made it to CSI, but when you were in the lab, you were the cockiest little bastard I ever knew. When you and I cracked that first case, the look on your face was one I'm taking with me to wherever I end up._

_Jim, you were one of the best bosses I've ever had, even if you were cranky when you didn't get your coffee. I know that I didn't always make your job the easiest in the world, but I would put that down to spending too much time with Warrick._

_Ecklie, I don't know why I'm writing to you, except to say you are the biggest bastard I saw in my life. At first I thought you were just smarmy, but the way you treat the lab techs and us, the night shift makes you one of the most screwed up evil people I know._

_Mom, Dad, don't blame yourselves for this, I wasn't pushed into this, it was my decision to make and I made the right one. Say good bye to everyone at home in Texas for me. The only reason I didn't do this before was because I couldn't bear the thought of you losing your only child. But if you know what I went through that night, you'd understand._

_I love you all, but I want you to understand, that this is a good thing. I know if it had happened to one of you, I wouldn't want you to suffer like I have for three years._

_One last thing. Mom, I know it's tradition to be buried in the family plot, but I made my life in Vegas, and I want to be buried in Vegas. Please respect this last wish for me._

_Goodbye,_

_Nick._

Tears flowing freely down his face, he sealed the letter in an envelope and placed it on the table, in full view of anyone who found him. He went back to his bedroom and took his gun and pager out of the drawer and went to sit on the sofa. He paged the lab, no-one in particular, but it would be received by all of the graveyard shift, and the first one to respond would be round here like a shot. His message was simple: 'Nick's house, come quick. Code 7'.

He placed the pager on the floor, and steeling himself for this final act of defiance, he brought himself to do what he just couldn't in that box, all those years ago. He brought the gun to his chin, and fired.


	3. Photograph

Back to New York this time!

-_-

**36) Photograph By Nickelback**

Sleeves rolled up, Flack was on his hands and knees under the bed, scooping out handfuls of ancient knick-knacks, old t-shirts, pens, bits of paper, forgotten souvenirs. His hand falling on a photo, he pulled it out, coughing and sputtering at the dust. Brushing it off, he looked at the photo.

It was a photo of him, as a kid, with friends. He looked so clean, unmarked by the dirty side of being a New York cop, unscarred by the bomb two years ago.

It must be fifteen years old, but he could remember that day as clearly as if it was yesterday. Looking at his friends, he ran gun-calloused fingers over their faces. Joey, Kim, a much younger Danny, himself and Mikey, who wasn't in the picture, but holding the camera. He could hear laughter in the streets below, so much like their laughter, then, letting himself sink into the memory, he was transported back to queens, 1993, his old haunt.

-_-

CRASH! Donnie jumped aside as Joey flew past on his brother's old skateboard, hitting a pile of old boxes with a surprisingly loud noise, but then, it was Joey. Joey, who had ADHD, was about as quiet as a bear playing the piano. The were where they always were, behind the old arcade, Joey with his skateboard, Kim, quiet but her eyes sparkling with laughter at Joeys antics, Danny, mad as a box of frogs, but with a wickedly dark sense of humour, portrayed in the drawings he did, his sketch book either hidden in his pocket or open on his knee, sketching anything he found amusing, Mikey, always with his camera but never in the picture and Donnie, daring, always willing to do things other people wouldn't. it was because of that that in the past seven years he had broken twenty three different bones, some of them more than once.

Donnie jumped to one side again as Joey, having recovered from his previous accident with the boxes, hurtled past again, somewhat wonkily, his skateboard always suffering more than him.

Feeling a cool hand in his, he glanced sideways at Kim, former best friend turned girlfriend. She grinned up at him. Even back then he'd been tall, towering over his friends and parent. Suddenly he was blinded by a flash. Mikey was smiling widely at them, pulling the Polaroid from the camera and shaking it, waiting for the picture to develop. A black and white image appeared on the card of Kim and Donnie, looking up and down respectively at each other, hands clasped tight.

Danny, who until then had been sketching silently in his pad started walking towards them, grabbing Joey on the way past. He called to them in his strong New York accent, 'Come on guys, group mug shot!' stowing his glasses deep in his pockets. Donnie knew he hated wearing them, but a car crash when he was four left him without a mother and failing eyesight.

The four of them started beaming at Mikey. Joey had found a paper hat God knows where, made out of folded newspaper, and it was currently perched on his head at a jaunty angle. Danny slung his arm around Donnie's shoulders, who had his other arm wrapped around Kim's waist. Mikey quickly switched to a colour cartridge and took the picture.

'Don't move!' he said. 'I want us all to have a copy of this.' He removed the photo and snapped four more. When they developed, three had a serious case of red-eye. Danny snickered at Joey's creative new headgear, before looking at his watch.

'Uh-oh, gotta go guys, Dad'll flip if I'm late again.' He grabbed a picture from the stack and ran off, digging out his glasses.

'I'd better get going too; I gotta pick up my little brother up.' Donnie kissed Kim and took a picture. Unfortunately he got a red-eye, but that didn't matter to him. He picked up his brother and headed home.

In his room that night, he looked again at the picture and smiled. What the hell was on Joey's head? Turning over the picture, he wrote something on the back, before propping it up on a self.

-_-

Flack looked at the back of the photo. There, in block capitals were the words:

ME, DANNY, KIM AND JOEY

AT THE ARCADE, '93.

MIKEY HIDING BEHIND THE CAMERA.

Smiling again, he opened a photo album and slotted it in, before carefully placing it in a half full box on the floor next to him. Danny was the only he kept in touch with, with first Mikey, Joey and then Kim gradually fading into the background.

He wondered what they were doing now.

-_-

Sorry my updates have been so erratic as of late, I will try and update more regularly, I promise.


	4. So Close

We're off to Miami this time!

This song introduces my new OC Taylor Mason. It's a little vague at the moment, and won't make a whole lot of sense, but bear with me, and everything shall become clear…

-_-

**39) So Close by Jon McLaughlin**

Taylor looked in the mirror, her sea green eyes sparkling with unshed tears. She had the bare minimum make up on, just a hint of light brown eye shadow to make her eyes pop. They were her most stunning features, but she was sure her soon to be husband would disagree, although his favourite parts of her wouldn't be on show to rest of the world.

Her dress was pale cream, almost white but not quite and fell to the floor. It had spaghetti straps and beading around the neckline and hem. A cream coloured sash, darker than the dress gathered at the waist, accentuating her curves, tying at the back in a bow, leaving the ends to trail down, resting on the train. Her copper hair was pinned up and held in place by fragile diamond slides, a few strands artfully pulled down to curl down and frame her face.

She turned, hearing the door open to see her maid of honour standing in the doorway, tears beading in her eyes as well. She crossed the room gracefully, her willowy frame swaying, the silky material of the dress swishing. Her long blonde hair hung straight and glossy, pulled back from her face by the same diamond slides holding Taylor's hair up. Her bridesmaid's dress was the colour of Taylor's sash and was sleeveless, reaching just under her knees. Coupled with the killer heels she was wearing, Eric was gonna be hard pressed to keep himself from jumping her on their way down the aisle. She looked absolutely gorgeous, her southern beauty shining through in her happiness.

'My god, Taylor!' she squealed. 'You look so beautiful, that dress is so perfect for you, and those earrings, where did you find them? I love them!'

'They were my mother's, she gave them to me before I left for Miami. She told me to find a man and put them to use at my wedding, they were just gathering dust at home. So I found myself a man, just to get a chance to wear the earrings, naturally.' She smiled, trying to swallow the lump of emotion that had risen in her throat.

There was a knock at the door and they both jumped, Calleigh wiping at her eyes carefully, getting rid of any tears. She opened the door, Taylor checking herself in the mirror one last time.

'Miss Duquesne, you look stunning.' Horatio's soft whispery voice floated into the room from the doorway.

'You don't look so bad yourself Horatio.' she replied, giving him one of her wide smiles that could light up a room so easily.

'Are you ready to go Miss Mason?' he asked Taylor, entering the room. She caught his eye in the mirror. There was nothing but pride in his baby blue eyes, and his tux was perfectly tailored, fitting him to a T.

'As ready as I'll ever be.' she said, and turned to face him. 'How do I look?'

'Like an angel.' he said and offered his arm. 'May I?'

'You may.' She took the arm and left the room, heading down the corridor, Calleigh almost dancing daintily down towards the double doors at the end of the hall where Eric was waiting, wearing an identical tuxedo to H's. His eyes lit up when he saw Calleigh, and kissed her softly on each cheek before turning to Taylor. He raised her free hand to his lips and kissed it, murmuring 'Mi princesa'. He shook H's hand before taking Calleigh's arm and opening the doors, walking down the aisle. The doors shut behind him, and Taylor realised she was shaking slightly. Horatio looked at her. 'Nervous?'

'Yeah. I always swore up and down that I wouldn't get married, ever, and now look at me.' She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

They heard the opening strains of the wedding march and the doors opened slowly, revealing a room full of people turning their heads to see her. She heard a couple of low gasps as they started walking down the aisle towards the groom. Her eyes met his, sea green on chocolate brown, and she saw the love in his eyes, knowing that it mirrored her own eyes.

She was so close to her happy ever after, and God knows she deserved it.

They reached the altar, and Horatio kissed her cheek softly before handing her over and going to stand by the side. She knew Calleigh was behind her, and she could see Eric on the other side of the vicar, grinning ear to ear. The vows started, and she looked into her husbands eyes once more, drowning in twin orbs, getting sucked in, falling in love all over again.

She blinked and realised the vicar was talking to her. 'Do you, Taylor Iris Mason take …'

-_-

So what did people think?

We will be seeing a lot more of Taylor in future chapters of Soundtrack until she gets her own fic.

Also, points to people who guess who she's marrying. HINT: Read carefully the last sentence.

It's not really hard to guess though, by process of elimination.

Next song: Hot 'N' Cold by Katy Perry


	5. Hero

**14) Hero by Enrique Iglesias**

**-_-**

He was my hero. He would always be my knight in shining armour.

Seeing him here, broken and bloody, eye swollen shut, his beautiful face a multitude of bruised colours, purple, red, black, cut me deeper than any knife ever could.

'Does he know I'm here?' I asked, my voice hoarse with tears already shed, my eyes brimming with ones yet to fall.

The doctor shook her head, the glass beads on the ends of her many plaits clinking. 'NO, I'm sorry. You can go see him though. Talk to him, let him know you're here for him, you're not going anywhere until he wakes up.'

I wheeled my hospital issue wheelchair forward, taking his unbroken left hand in mine. The gold wedding band glimmered faintly in the artificial light of the hospital room.

My last reserves of self-control shattered like glass, and the tears began to fall once again. 'Please, don't do this to me, I don't think I could live without you, you're my everything. Give me a sign that you're still in there, squeeze my hand, anything!' I cried bitterly over our clasped hands, salty tears dripping from my nose into the ridges of our once soft palms, mine now heavily bandaged, his scarred from an explosion eight years ago.

He had cheated death so many times, why should this be any different?

A voice piped up inside my head, a nasty, malicious voice. 'Because it's your fault!' it kept saying, over and over again, breaking my heart into a million irreparable pieces, letting loose a flood of memories, one for every piece.

_The day we met. It was raining heavily, and he'd ducked into a cafe to avoid the torrential downpour, bumping into me, tray in hand. Coffee slopped over the brim of the mugs, splashing on the tray and then the floor. I tried to swerve around him, but I stepped in the coffee and my feet went out from under me. As fast as a striking snake his hand was there, saving my dignity, but the tray went crashing to the floor, smashing the mugs. Even back then, he was my hero. I smoothed my uniform and looked properly at my saviour. Messy blond hair, carefully gelled into disarray, deep brown eyes that were wise beyond his years, and a friendly mouth, one that knew how to smile. That was rare in these dangerous times. He was still holding my arm, so I looked pointedly at it until he let go. 'Thanks.'_

_I crouched down, picking up the shards of china. One of the pieces sliced along the pad of my thumb, blood beading in a line. A warm hand enclosed mine, and a cotton ball appeared from nowhere, gently wiping the blood away, leaving a faint pink line. The mysterious man handed me a band-aid, before helping me gather the rest of the pieces. 'Greg Sanders.' He introduced himself._

'_Amy Marsden.' I smiled at him, watching the concentration on his face as he picked tiny slivers of white china out of a rapidly spreading pool of cooling coffee. 'Excuse me.' I went for the mop, but when I got back, there was a pile of china balanced on the discarded tray, a business card tucked into the bottom of the pile, a mobile number hand-written on the bottom. Greg was nowhere to be seen. Smiling discreetly, I tucked his card into my apron pocket. I didn't know whether I would ever ring him, but the thrill of dating a stranger was there, ready to be taken._

The tears fell, the salt stinging the raw graze on my face, the one that had not yet been cleaned and dressed because I had come to see Greg as soon as I regained consciousness. Another memory struck me, the night he proposed, three years to the day we first met.

_We walked into the restaurant, moving past the couples enjoying romantic meals, bottles of wine in buckets of ice, rose petals strewn on the table, Italians with violins serenading the room from a small stage at the back of the restaurant. The maitre' de showed us to a tiny table, separate from the rest, close enough to hear the music, but far enough away to speak privately._

_I remember the sparkle in his eyes as he ordered the wine, the permanent grin on his face the dreamy expression as he pulled out the small ring box, opening it to show me the gorgeous white gold ring, a diamond set in the centre, surrounded by tiny sapphires, the exact colour of my eyes , the single tear sliding down his face as he told me that the last three years had been the happiest of his life. _

_I'd stood by him, through thick and thin, when our friend Warrick died and he fell apart. When Catherine, Gil and Jim died, I talked him down from a ledge so many times. It physically hurt me to see him like this, but it hurt more when he broke down in my arms, asking why it hadn't been him. It took a long time, but eventually, we got our Greggo back._

_Tears falling down my face, mixing with mascara and happiness, I told him yes, I would marry him. We would be joined together forever, however long forever might be._

More memories, the good and the bad, the happy and the sad.

_Our wedding day_

Together forever

_Warrick's funeral_

Together forever

_The birth of our child, just over two months ago_

Together forever

_Getting the call about Gil, Catherine and Jim_

Together forever. We were supposed to be together forever. I cursed God, and Allah, and every other God in the sky who took Greg from me, and I didn't know whether I would get him back. I watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, the ventilator breathing for him.

I couldn't do this. I reluctantly released his hand and wheeled myself awkwardly out of the room.

Stopping outside the door, I slid it shut gently, muffling the steady beep of the heart monitor, the sound of death inching closer and closer.

A tall, dark-skinned man in a white coat approached me solemnly, followed by Sara and Nick, holding their kits, Sara fighting back the tears, Nick not far behind.

'What happened?' he asked solemnly, looking sadly into his room, his large chocolate eyes swimming.

'We were walking home from the cemetery when I was jumped. Greg came to my rescue, but they kept hitting him and kicking him. I was screaming at them, but they wouldn't stop. I couldn't get to him, there were too many, this is all my fault-' I broke off, hysterical. Sara bent down awkwardly and hugged me. I could smell her perfume; she'd obviously been called in on her day off. When she drew back there were tears running down her face.

'I uh, I need to process you, Nick's gonna process Greg.' she said softly, setting her kit on the floor and opening it, pulling out a pair of gloves, pushing my chair back to my room, across from Greg.

She was scraping under my nails when it happened. A loud, high-pitched whine erupted from Greg's room, and Nick burst out, shouting for a doctor. I struggled into my chair again, wheeling feverishly across the hall, only to be told I would have to wait at the door.

I sat at the glass, watching the hands flying over his body. All sound filtered out, and all I could hear was the whining and the sudden burst of electricity, shocking his heart back to life. Ten minutes and fifty six seconds later- I don't know how I was so accurate, just that I was-, the hands fell still. One doctor, the dark skinned one from before looked at his watch and called the time of death.

My heart stopped. Icy liquid filed my veins, and I sat, frozen, until they pulled a sheet over his face, obscuring him from view. I sat there until Nick pushed me back to my room, the tears falling from his liquid coffee eyes.

I don't know how long I just sat. I remember the world moving past me, I remember Greg's body being wheeled down the hall, down to the morgue.

And then it came. The day of his funeral.

Out of the wheelchair by now, I stood by his grave, throwing a handful of dirt onto the coffin. Everyone had turned up, he was a well-liked guy. Had been a well-liked guy, I reminded myself.

We buried him next to Warrick, Gil on Warrick's other side, followed by Catherine, then Jim.

The inscription on the headstone was simple.

Greg Sanders.

1975-2011

Hero.

-_-

Okay, hands up those who weren't in tears. That's what I thought. I was in tears writing the thing :D

Also, I know I said this would be Hot n Cold, Katy Perry. I lied. So sue me.


	6. Take A Bow

NOTE: This is set in the TM-verse, and in the future, sort of. This takes place a year after Taylor leaves New York.

**83) Take A Bow by Rihanna**

'How could you do this? I understand how you could do this to me, but to Garrett? He needs his mom, and you're leaving without a backward glance?'

'No, Danny please, you have to understand, I lo-'

'Yeah yeah you love him, I hear ya. You've known him for three weeks, how can you know that?' He paused as realisation sunk in, and his ears turned faintly red. He felt so stupid. 'It hasn't just been three weeks, has it?'

Lindsay shook her head slowly, tears slipping down her cheeks, mixing with mascara and eyeliners, leaving black tracks down her face.

'Christ Lindsay, how long?'

She spoke, her voice barely above a whisper 'Two years.'

Danny inhaled slowly, trying to get control of his emotion, or he was gonna put a fist through a wall. 'Two years? You been sneaking about around my back for two years?' A thought occurred to him, and his blood ran cold. 'Is, is Garrett...' he trailed off, unable to say it.

'Is he yours?' she finished for him.

He nodded, not trusting his voice to not crack mid-sentence.

'He's yours. I took a test, if he was Trist's, I would have left then Danny. I, I hoped, I hoped he was.'

Danny ran a hand down his face, clenching the other in a fist. Keeping his voice low, Garrett was sleeping in the other room, he hissed through clenched teeth. 'Get out. Get out of my house.'

She looked shocked, and Danny's temper flared. 'Don't look so surprised. You're leaving anyway, it might as well be on my terms. You have until I get back from work tomorrow morning. You can have anything you want, apart from the house and my son.'

'Your son? He's just as much my son as he is yours.'

'No.' He said firmly. 'He stopped being your son the minute you said you were leaving.'

Lindsay burst in broken sobs at that point, not caring anymore. Through the haze of tears, she made her way to the spare bedroom, where she reached under the bed and brought out a suitcase, full of clothes. Carrying it to the door, she stopped and turned back to Danny. She was no longer crying, but there was a quiet sadness.

'I'm sorry it ended this way.' She said, before taking off her wedding ring placing it on the table by the front door. That one gesture just about broke Danny's heart.

'No you're not.' He said, choking back tears. 'You're just sorry you got caught.'

And with those words, Lindsay Monroe walked out of Danny Messer's life forever. Tears misted his vision and he turned and slammed his hand into the wall next to him. The wall splintered under the force of his punch, and something in his hand went crack, but he didn't care.

A small cry from the other room snapped him out of his anger fuelled stupor, and he went into his son's room. The sound of the wall breaking must have scared him, and Danny picked up his son, holding him close, murmuring things in his ear. Gradually, the whimpering slowed, and Garrett Messer looked into his father's eyes, blue on blue and said in a clear voice, 'Dada?'

And Danny's heart broke all over again. 'That's me, G, I'm your Daddy.' He carried his son back down the stairs, rocking him slowly, he looked around the house. Little things everywhere reminded him of Lindsay, the chair in the corner where she rocked newborn Garrett to sleep, the dint in the wall where he put his fist through it, the coffee stain of the cream carpet where Lindsay knocked over his mug the day they moved in.

Pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, he dialled a number that he could have dialled in his sleep. She answered on the first ring, sounding a little stressed. 'Hello?'

'Taylor? It's me, Danny. She left.'

-_-

I know it's short, but I really like this song, and didn't think there was much more that could be said. Still, lucky you, two posts in a week on the same fic! I must be getting soft. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, unless I'm very much mistaken, the next song will be Heartbeat by Scouting for Girls. Anyone says a word I'll set Mac on you.


	7. Crack The Shutters

I know, I know, I deserve to be shot. No updates of any kind for a month! However, I have 3 or 4 updates on the way, hopefully this weekend or sometime next week for this and Taylor Made, so that should make up for it?

This is set in the TM 'verse, a couple of months after Taylor and Speed get together.

-_-

17) Crack the Shutters by Coldplay

Taylor rolled over, blinking sleep out of her eyes and gazing with adoration at the handsome man in the bed next to her. His chest moved up and down gently, his rugged face always more peaceful in sleep. God knows they needed the sleep, they had just been up for 37 hours straight on a surveillance op that resulted in a shootout, killing the suspects and three cops.

She climbed out of bed, padding down the hallway into the clean white kitchen, taking a bottle of milk from the fridge and boiling the kettle for coffee. Stretching to reach her favourite mug, and finding she can't reach it, she was faced with two choices. Use another mug, or wake Tim up.

An evil grin spread over her face.

Creeping into the bedroom, she knelt on the bed that they had been sharing for the past two months, slowing lowering her milk bottle-cooled hands onto his bare chest. His eyes snapped open, hands suddenly appearing around her wrists, lifting them away from his body.

'Do you have to wake me up like that?' he mumbled, his voice still sleepy, despite the alert look in his eyes.

She grinned and nodded, climbing off him and opening the curtains, letting the light flow in. 'Yup. How else will I get you to reach my favourite mug from the top shelf?'

'I dunno. By waiting for me to wake up, instead of putting your cold hands all over me?'

She laughed, and leant down to kiss him softly, running her now warmer hands over his chest and up to his neck, one curling around to reach the nape, one continuing upwards to caress his face. He responded by wrapping a muscular arm around her slender waist, drawing her close. Reluctantly, she broke the kiss, whispering against his lips 'First coffee, then kissing. Kitchen, now.'

Climbing off him for the second time in as many minutes, she stood in front of the window, looking out to the sea, like she did every morning. He'd once asked her why, and she replied that the sea reminded her of who she was, and who she used to be. It made her feel calm and at peace with herself.

Now, looking at her standing there, he watched the light streaming into the room and shining on Taylor. Her hair shone like spun copper, and her creamy skin glowed with life. She was the most beautiful thing in the world to him, and every time he looked at her, she took his breath away. In just three months, she had taken his life, and inserted herself into it easily, as if she had been there forever. It wasn't just him though. The whole team had changed as a result of the small New York native. Eric had swallowed his fear and taken a leap of faith, resulting in the discovery of a soul mate with Calleigh. Horatio was more at ease, less mysterious. Speed now saw him as a person, not just his boss. Frank had become part of the team, as had Cooper, once a cocky loner, had developed into one of Speed's closest friends. He had been there for him when Taylor had fought for her life, and they had formed a bond that, as close as he was with Eric, would never share with him. Dan had held Taylor's life in his hands, and Speed had trusted him with it.

However, Alexx had not changed a bit. She had welcomed Taylor like one of her own, and she had quickly become one of the family. They had been round to Alexx's for dinner, and she had also been accepted by Alexx's husband and her children, when Lily had professed her love for Taylor's flowing auburn locks, and declared that she wanted her hair the same. She had given Aimee a pair of designer boots that no longer fit her, and she had allowed Michael to take her beloved bike for a spin, something she had not even deigned to let Speed do.

Truly Taylor had become part of the family, and now Speed had plans to make it permanent. Rising out of the bed, he rummaged in his bedside drawer for something he had gone with Eric to choose a couple of days ago. He hadn't planned to use it so early, but nothing had ever felt more right.

Slowly, he approached Taylor, and she turned to face him, her eyes meeting his. She had once confessed to his eyes being her favorite part of him, and that she wanted the first thing she saw every time she looked at him to be his soul searching eyes.

Then her eyes glanced down, to the small blue box in his hand, and her eyes welled up, as he went down on one knee…

-_-

OK, that went in a completely different direction than I started out, but I think it turned out well. I hope everyone enjoyed it, and that it is a sort of apology for taking so long to post since the last time. Am I forgiven?


	8. Can't Fight The Moonlight

Yup, ANOTHER chapter for this fic. Don't worry, I haven't abandoned Taylor, I'm working on a new chapter even as I'm typing this. I'm switching lol.

A big thanks to Blueeyedauthor for giving me this song.

I only own Taylor and Garrett. The fantastic Sam Ross (now Flack) belongs to Brown eyed Girl 75.

Still in the TM verse, set after Take A Bow.

--

**11) Can't Fight The Moonlight by LeAnn Rimes**

Danny sat in the bar; head bowed over his third, or was it fourth, drink? Did it really matter? His life in New York was over. So over, he had to get out. The city was slowly killing him, it had been for a while, he just didn't realise it. Little events over the years.

Tanglewood.

Louie.

The attack in the warehouse that crushed his hand, leaving it scarred and damaged.

Ruben.

The mess that was his life with Lindsay.

Of course, there were some things in the city that he wouldn't swap for anything. Don Flack, his best friend, the one who had stood by him through thick and thin, and vice versa.

And the small baby sitting at home- well, what passed for home, but was in fact Taylor's spare room- waiting for Daddy to come back. Thirteen month old Garratt didn't understand where Mommy had come, and it broke Danny's heart trying to explain that Mommy had gone to live with another Daddy. He knew that Garratt didn't understand properly, but he felt he owned the kid an explanation for uprooting him from his whole life and moving him down to Miami. He was very taken with 'Unky 'Peed' though, ad his 'lello 'ike' though, and if Speed was honest, though he'd never admit it, he was very taken with his new nephew as well.

Taylor told him once she had got in from work late, and found both Speed and Garratt fast asleep, Garratt resting on Speeds gently rising chest. What Speed didn't know about however, were the numerous photos she had taken with her cell phone, sending them to Sam Flack back in New York. Apparently Speed and Brooklyn knew each other from way back when.

Danny stared into the dregs of his beer, wondering briefly where the rest of the beer had gone, before swallowing it down and signaling for another, never looking up.

'So, after how many do you want cutting off?'

Danny glanced upwards, looking into a pair of stormy grey eyes, framed by expensive looking thick-framed glasses, the words Studio 123 engraved on the sides.

Tendrils of chestnut hair curled around her face, her bangs escaping the messy bun and falling into her eyes. She blew them out of her face, before smiling down at the New York, so far away from home. And what a smile!

Danny had always been a sucker for a nice smile, but this one took his breath away. Her whole face lit up, making her glow, and he found himself smiling back, a genuine smile. He hadn't smiled like that since before Lindsay left.

Realising she was waiting for him to answer, he stuttered out an answer. 'Uh, I dunno, when I start mixing English with Italian?'

She laughed, a sound that Danny hadn't heard in a while. Or maybe he just hadn't been listening. 'You're Italian?'

He nodded, feeling more awake than he had in the past twenty eight days and seventeen minutes. 'Third generation.' he said, by way of introduction, holding out his hand for her to shake. 'Danny Messer.'

'Ashleigh Carlon. Second generation Floridian.' She replied, and shook his hand. 'I just came off shift. Mind if I join you?'

He shook his head, so she poured herself a drink and sat on the bar stool next to him. 'So, tell me about yourself, Danny.'

---

Well, that was short, but I like it. What does everyone else think?


	9. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

I don't own this storyline, just the scenario. The storyline belongs to BEG, as does Sam Flack and Kallison and Kellan. If you haven't read it, go read BEG's One Boy, One Girl: Brooklyn Style.

Any words in italics, bold or underline, I don't own. They're either extracts from the fic _One Boy, One Girl: Brooklyn Style_, the show, or _lyrics_.

--

Flack was walking down a New York street, the traffic uncharacteristically quiet. A taxi roared past every now and again, but other than that, it seemed as if the city that never sleeps was taking a nap.

_I walk a lonely road  
The only one that I have ever known  
Don't know where it goes  
But it's home to me and I walk alone_

He had had to get out of the house. It was a crappy excuse, but he felt that the wall s were closing in on him. He knew that Sam was relying on him to keep her together, to stop her falling apart. Hawkes' death had hit her harder, more so than the rest of the team, and to the unknowing eye, it would seem that Flack was moving on remarkably well.

He wasn't. What he had heard on the phone had sickened him to his very core, and left an ache in his chest like an anvil.

_Flack snatched up the cordless and sat up quickly, moving the phone to his right hand as the left reached out to flick on the bedside lamp. Sam rolled over onto her stomach and raised her head to look at him just as he hit the talk button on the phone._

"_Yeah…this is Flack…" he said in way of greeting. "Whoa…whoa…" his eyes widened and he was already throwing the covers off of his legs. "Slow down…take it easy Kaile…take a breath and go a little slower…what's going on?…what happened?"_

When he heard those chilling words, they were seared into his conscious like a cattle brand. And then he had to comfort Sammie while inside he was tearing up. He had to wipe away her tears when there was no-one to wipe away his own.

_I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
Where the city sleeps  
and I'm the only one and I walk alone_

He knew that him and Hawkes hadn't always seen eye to eye, a cop and a scientist weren't the best people to get along with, Flack's hot temper hadn't endeared him to the mild mannered ex-ME turned CSI.

They had seen past their differences eventually, and had even become friends. Having a beer together at O' Sullivans, even having dinner at each other's houses with their spouses. It was just so hard accepting that he was gone.

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone_

Flack's feet pounded at the street, trying to walk away from the memory of hearing Kaile Maka's voice on the phone, prepared to walk until his feet were bloody and blistered.

_Panic registered on Sam's face. She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and then moved into a sitting position. Watching nervously as her husband jumped out of bed and hurried for his dressing, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he began a near frantic search for clothes._

"_When?" Flack asked, as a pair of jeans a sweatshirt were tossed onto the bed, followed by boxers and a pair of socks. The items narrowly missing the sleeping dog. "How in the hell did that happen?…Is Danny okay? What did the doctors say?"_

"_What happened to Danny?" Sam asked, her entire body trembling. "Donnie? What happened?"_

He couldn't even begin to imagine life without Hawkes, without seeing his gentle face at the Crime Lab, his caring eyes telling someone that their husband or wife or child wasn't coming home.

_I'm walking down the line  
That divides me somewhere in my mind  
On the border line  
Of the edge and where I walk alone_

What was he going to tell Kellan and Kallison? They called him Uncle Shelly, they spent more time around his house than they did at their own, always wanting him to do magic tricks, pull a rabbit out of the hat. They were five, they weren't stupid. They were going to notice if suddenly the visits stopped or Uncle Shelly never turned up any more.

'You think Houdini knew the impact he would have on mafia lingo?'

Hawkes turned to him, his lips curving upwards. 'I'm sorry?'

'It's like when they whack somebody, they say 'We made him do a Houdini.'. You think that would make him proud?' Flack smiled, obviously pleased with his comment.

'Are we actually having this conversation?' Hawkes asked, gesturing between him and Flack,

Flack smirked. 'Oh, I'm sorry, can you explain the difference between DNA and RNA? Is that better? Because that's scintillating conversation right there.'

Hawkes laughed, the skin around his eyes crinkling. 'It would be if you knew the answer.'

Flack could remember that day clear as if it were yesterday. Another example of cop versus scientist, but it didn't matter. They were never going to be intellectual equals, but that was OK. Hawkes had the smarts, Flack had the muscle, they were a perfect team.

_He ignored her as he turned towards the bed and began stripping off his bed clothes and yanking on the boxers and jeans. "So he's okay then? Linds is with him?"_

_Sam breathed a sigh of relief._

"_And what about Hawkes?" Flack asked. "What?…When?"_

_Sam didn't like the sound of her husband's voice, nor the way he stopped what he was doing and the way shock registered on his face._

_He raised his eyes and looked at her. Blue eyes meeting golden brown. His were serious and dire. Hers were terrified._

"_Donnie.." fear crept into her voice. "What…?"_

He never thought it would be Hawkes, lying on that steel table, y shaped incision carved into his chest. It made death seem more permanent somehow, set it in stone that he wasn't coming back.

_Read between the lines  
What's fucked up and everything's alright  
Check my vital signs  
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone_

What felt the worst though, was that he was relieved. He was relieved that it hadn't been Danny. Sure, Hawkes was his friend, but Danny was like his brother. But it was nothing compared to what he would have felt had it been Sammie.

"_Donnie…" Sam said again, her tone pleading. "Everything's okay, right? Please tell me that everything's okay."_

_He shook his head slowly._

"_What do you mean?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes. "What…?"_

"_It's Hawkes…" he told her. Fighting back his own emotion. "He…he was shot…during the raid…he…"_

"_Don…don't say what I think you're going to say…please don't say it."_

It had almost killed him having to tell her about Hawkes, it had nearly destroyed him, having to look into her eyes and tell her that Sheldon Hawkes, one of the kindest, most decent human beings he had ever met, had died in a dingy apartment in the backstreets of New York while Flack was at home with Sammie, asleep, like Hawkes should have been.

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beatings, otherwise  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone_

_I walk this empty street  
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams  
Where the city sleeps  
And I'm the only one and I walk a..._

Hawkes had cheated death once before, and he'd been fine. Cracked rib, a few bruises, but otherwise fine. He'd been back at work the same day, more worried about the case than his own health.

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me  
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating  
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me  
'Til then I walk alone..._

They had nearly lost him that day, and Stella had made him swear to be more careful, and to his credit, he had. Right up until he had pushed Danny out of the way to be hit by a bullet himself. He had given his life for Danny, and had done it selflessly. There had never been a better person than Sheldon Hawkes, and Flack was going to make sure the world knew.

He stopped, outside his house. His midnight wander had taken him full circle, back to his Flushing, Queens home. A light was on upstairs, and he heard himself telling Sammie the horrible truth again, as if a record was playing inside his head.

"_I'm sorry, Sammie…"_

_She shook her head, then covered her mouth with her hand as a sob threatened to erupt._

"_I'm sorry," he said again. "But he's…"_

"_Please don't…" she pleaded. "Please…"_

_Flack abandoned dressing himself and climbed onto the bed. Kneeling before her, he gently took her face in his hands. Forcing her to look him dead in the eyes._

"_I'm sorry, baby," he whispered. "Hawkes is dead."_

He entered the house, climbing the stairs wearily. Entering his room, he was flooded with guilt as what he saw brought tears to his eyes. Curling up in the comforter was Sam, her eyes red rimmed, staring lifelessly at the wall. Gathered around her were Kellan and Kallison, trying to hug her, find out what was wrong, why Mommy was sad.

Flack gently shooed then out of the room, shutting the door before climbing into bed, wrapping long arms around his wife, letting her bury her head in his shirt.

'I miss him, so much,' she choked out, salty tears running down her face.

Flack let the floodgates open, tears falling over his lids and spilling on the top of Sam's head, soaking her hair with salt water. 'I know babe. I miss him too.

--

I hope everyone liked that, a new thing for me, so if you want to see more like this, then let me know!

Cookies for the first person to guess the song. It's easy, I know, but still…


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